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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2017 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/18/report-game-preparing-to-rejoin-stock-market/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/18/report-game-preparing-to-rejoin-stock-market/https://www.joystiq.com/2014/01/18/report-game-preparing-to-rejoin-stock-market/#comments

2012 wasn't kind to retail chain Game - after closing more than 200 stores in the UK and Ireland, shuttering its Australian division, filing for administration (bankruptcy) and getting delisted from the stock exchange, its operations werepurchased by sister investment companies. Luckily for GAME, it appears to have phoenix-like qualities - Sky News reports that the company is planning on rejoining the stock market.

The effort will supposedly consist of a £300 million flotation later this year, which would involve selling shares of the company to the public. The move would suggest a strong performance from the retailer during both the holiday season and the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with the former doubling the Xbox 360's UK debut and the latter moving 700,000 units in Europe and Australia by December.

NASDAQ has given Cooking Mama publisher Majesco another 180 days to raise its (beef) stock value above $1.00, after the company failed to meet yesterday's existing deadline for the same goal. Majesco now has until February 24 of next year to become compliant with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5550, subsection A, article two, which requires trading companies to have a "minimum bid price of at least $1 per share."

Previously, Majesco had 180 days (starting last March) to increase its stock value, lest it be delisted from NASDAQ and forced to toil endlessly in the Salt Mines of Thælm on Baltharia 7's Dark Moon. Okay maybe not that second thing, but getting delisted from NASDAQ is pretty horrible on its own. As of press time, Majesco's stock is trading at $0.64 a share.

Frontier Developments, known around these parts as the studio behind crowdfunding success story Elite: Dangerous, is about to enter a different brave new world: that of the London Stock Exchange. The company is set to launch its IPO on July 15th with around £4 million ($5.9 million) in shares.Elite: Dangerous'sKickstarter campaign raised £1.6 million and Frontier snagged an additional £2.8 in provate funding. The studio has about £7.2 million in the bank.

A statement from founder and studio head David Braben accompanied the announcement, outlining his excitement to list Frontier at "a time of such strong momentum in the business and the sector." He also noted that the IPO "gives us the necessary financial impetus to continue operating at the forefront of the continually evolving and expanding global games market."

Nexon announced that it had invested in NCsoft by snapping up 3,218,091 shares in a private transaction. The deal cost Nexon 804,522,750,000 South Korean Won, or $687 million US. This puts Nexon's share ownership of NCsoft at 14.7%.

It will certainly be interesting to see how this investment affects the future of both Nexon and NCsoft. Nexon said that it "forms the basis of a long-term partnership" between the two companies.

Facebook went public yesterday, and its unexpectedly less-than-stellar performance on the trading floor has had powerful ramifications for its social soul sister Zynga, which finished the day's trading at a record low of $7.16 a share.

It's possible that Facebook's unimpressive IPO, closing out Friday at $38.23 a share – four dollars less than its $42.05 opening price – caused Zynga's value to drop in tandem, as the two platforms are inexorably intertwined in the public mindset. It's also possible that Zynga share holders jumped ship in favor of that new Facebook hotness, no longer having to settle for social second best.

Regardless, the severe downturn in value lead to two trading halts on Zynga shares over the course of the day; once after reaching $7.17 a share, and once again after a slight increase in market value. Despite this, share values eventually dropped to as little as $6.93 before finally settling at $7.16.
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androidfacebookiosipadiphoneipomacmobilenasdaqpcstock-marketzyngaSat, 19 May 2012 13:30:00 -040011|20241150https://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/zynga-executives-unloading-20-million-shares-in-secondary-offeri/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/zynga-executives-unloading-20-million-shares-in-secondary-offeri/https://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/31/zynga-executives-unloading-20-million-shares-in-secondary-offeri/#comments

Zynga is prepping for its upcoming secondary stock offering, which will put 43 million shares of the company up for sale -- 20.2 million of which are "Class B" shares that currently belong to the high ranking Zynga executives.

In descending order of shares being sold, cofounder Mark Pincus is unloading the most at 16.5 million shares, roughly 15 percent of his ownership of the company. Directors Reid Hoffman and Owen Van Natta come in second and third, selling 687,626 shares and 505,627 shares respectively. CFO David Wehner is selling more than 50 percent of his ownership in the company by offering 386,865 shares, followed closely by COO John Schappert whose 322,350 buyable shares make up nearly 45 percent of his total stake.

It's easy to read into things like this and infer all kinds of assumptions, both positive and negative, about what it means for the company. So instead of doing that, let's all forget the stock market even exists and watch cat videos.
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class-bmark-pincussecondary-offeringstock-marketstockszyngaSat, 31 Mar 2012 20:00:00 -040011|20205829https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/subscriber-numbers-lead-to-a-new-hope-for-electronic-arts-stock/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/subscriber-numbers-lead-to-a-new-hope-for-electronic-arts-stock/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/02/02/subscriber-numbers-lead-to-a-new-hope-for-electronic-arts-stock/#comments

This is sharp contrast to some of the early analyst responses before subscriber numbers were released, as well as some suspicions that the game was falling after a few first-patch fumbles. Whether the game will rise further or stabilize where it is remains to be seen, but it's certainly making a strong showing out of the gate, and the financial sector is taking note.

[Thanks to Robert for the tip!]
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biowarebioware-mythiceaea-biowareelectronic-artsfinanciallegalmmo industrymmo-industrynews itemssci-fistar wars: the old republicstar-wars-the-old-republicstock-marketstockssubscriber-numberssubscribersswtorThu, 02 Feb 2012 17:30:00 -0500319|20163355https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/19/electronic-arts-stock-in-danger-thanks-to-swtor-fumbles/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/19/electronic-arts-stock-in-danger-thanks-to-swtor-fumbles/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/19/electronic-arts-stock-in-danger-thanks-to-swtor-fumbles/#comments

Electronic Arts' stock appears to be in a bit of trouble following Star Wars: The Old Republic's launch. The company's shares fell by almost 3% to $17.75 US this morning after a stock analyst working with Brean Murray Carret & Co. "cut his price target on the stock to $22 [US] from $28 [US]." In a note to his clients, analyst Todd Mitchell wrote that he felt some "creeping concerns" regarding The Old Republic's performance so far; he added that "initial sales appear to be below expectations, and casual observation of early play is causing us to rethink our churn assumptions." Now we just get to sit back with some popcorn and see whether BioWare can get its business together in time to make a recovery, so take a seat.

Finnish school for agitated ornithological research mobile mogul Rovio may be looking to capitalize on its world-wide brand recognition and ridiculous, un-ending revenue stream by listing its stock on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2013, assuming the world still exists in 2013, that is.

The financial liquidity inherent in Asia's increasingly prosperous business climate makes for an excellent pro-IPO opportunity, according to Finnish outlet Tekniikka & Talous. While no official announcements have been made as of yet, an IPO in Rovio's immediate future makes sense considering that the developer is currently valued between $2.6 and $9.1 billion and recently turned down $2.25 billion from Zynga.
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androidangry-birdshong-konghong-kong-stock-exchangeinitial-public-offeringiosipadiphoneipomacmobilepcroviorovio-mobilestockstock-marketSat, 17 Dec 2011 16:30:00 -050011|20130314https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/trion-worlds-may-go-public-following-rifts-success/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/trion-worlds-may-go-public-following-rifts-success/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/trion-worlds-may-go-public-following-rifts-success/#comments

Want to own a piece of your favorite MMO studio? If you're a fan of Trion Worlds, then you may yet get your chance.

The company announced that it is mulling over a decision to put the company on the market with an IPO. CEO Lars Buttler says that it's just a matter of time at this point: "As we build scale and become more profitable, [an IPO] is clearly on our horizon at some point. We've had a lot of bankers coming to us recently. We keep all of our options open at this point. We definitely have enough substance and enough skill to be a public company at the right time."

Trion has been doing well for itself lately, as it's doubled its staff in 2011 and raised $100 million from investments since 2007. RIFT's success has helped to convince the company that an IPO is a solid move. "RIFT is vastly profitable. It is profitable every single week and every single month," Buttler said.

RIFT isn't Trion's only project, as the company is working on End of Nations, Defiance, and the Red Door publishing platform.
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defianceend-of-nationsfantasygoing-publicinitial-public-offeringipolars-buttlerlegalmiscellaneousmmo industryprofitprofitablepublicred-doorriftstockstock-markettriontrion-worldsTue, 25 Oct 2011 12:00:00 -0400319|20089851https://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/nintendo-shares-drop-5-percent-following-tgs-showcase/https://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/nintendo-shares-drop-5-percent-following-tgs-showcase/https://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/nintendo-shares-drop-5-percent-following-tgs-showcase/#comments

It seems Japanese investors weren't too thrilled by the presentation Nintendo put together for last night's Tokyo Game Show press conference. Despite revealing a new Mario Tennis, another Monster Hunter title, a firmware update and a different 3DS color, Nintendo's share price dropped to ¥12,290 by the end of trading yesterday -- a five percent day-to-day drop which some investors chalk up to a lineup that doesn't compete with the cheaper offerings of iOS and Android titles.

Speaking to Reuters, Ichiyoshi Investment manager Mitsushige Akino said, "Nintendo succeeded by pulling in people who weren't gamers and their needs now are no longer being filled by Nintendo, they are happy playing games on their mobile phones." We suppose Nintendo could combat further losses by making 3DS games cost 99 cents. Whatever they do, they should do it quickly, as Nintendo's stock has fallen 84 percent from its all time high of ¥70,500 in November 2007.

Zynga today announced the launch of its new, sure-to-be-massive 'Ville social game, in which players from disparate backgrounds will be able to log on, buy a portion of a company through microtransactions and watch their profits grow!

This new venture differs from other Zynga hits like FarmVille and FrontierVille in just a few key ways.

1. It doesn't actually have "Ville" in the title.
2. Players play with actual, totally real money.
3. Players' company won't necessarily grow. In fact, it may shrink through no fault of their own.
4. The company is Zynga, which made almost $600 million in revenue in 2010.
5. It's not a game, but a stock offering.

OK, so maybe Zynga's filing of an S-1 form, detailing its intent to become a publicly traded company at some point in the future, isn't a new game announcement. But if you guys know of a better way to trick you into reading a story involving both the stock market and casual games, we'd love to hear it.
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casualfinanceipomobilepcs-1stock-marketzyngaFri, 01 Jul 2011 12:37:00 -040011|19981581https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/20/rise-and-shiny-recap-monster-forest/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/20/rise-and-shiny-recap-monster-forest/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/03/20/rise-and-shiny-recap-monster-forest/#comments

Monster Forest, brought to us by Asiasoft, is a deceptive little game. First of all, it feels so freshly translated that there are still bits of foreign language clinging to quest text and character speech. But the sheer amount of little games and systems involved makes me feel like I am revisiting Mabinogi for the first time. If you took a collectible pet game, a farming system, turn-based combat, a stock market, and several other major systems and wrapped them in a cartoony skin, you would get Monster Forest. Heck, we did get Monster Forest.

Also, the GMs from Asiasoft are insane. Now, I am fully aware of the cultural differences between West and East. I respect them and always remember to avoid applying any stereotypes to any one group. But let's face it, North American game developers would never ask their GMs to dress up like the person in this video to film a game guide. It just wouldn't happen, unless the North American crew was attempting to be silly. To the lady in the video, this is just another day at the office.

Investors are not just concerned with the initial sales of SWTOR but also the long-term success of the game. The article uses the sales trend of WAR as an example. The first week's sales of WAR topped at 500,000 subscriptions, which is impressive for any MMO, yet subscriptions did not stick as customer satisfaction plummeted. If an investor is not familiar with BioWare's past successes or if he happens to view BioWare as a rookie in the MMO genre, then his wariness is clearly understandable.

Today, Mike Hickey is calling Electronic Arts a "buy," but that may change if investors continue to see EA as a risky investment.
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all points bulletinall-points-bulletinbiowarebusiness modelseaeconomyelectronic-artsinvestinginvestorsjancojanco-partnersmike-hickeymmo industrymythicmythic-entertainmentsci-fistar wars: the old republicstar-wars-the-old-republicstock-marketswtorthe-old-republictorwarhammerwarhammer onlinewarhammer-onlineMon, 24 Jan 2011 14:30:00 -0500319|19812943https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/23/online-gaming-rakes-in-over-14-5-billion-in-2010/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/23/online-gaming-rakes-in-over-14-5-billion-in-2010/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/23/online-gaming-rakes-in-over-14-5-billion-in-2010/#comments

Parents of many of the gaming industry professionals would scold them by saying, "You can never make a living playing video games." The industry overcame that stigma many years ago, but online gaming still carried that stench of worthlessness. However, that is no longer the case. ABI Research of Arizona says that online gaming is expected to exceed $14.5 billion this year.

The most staggering figure is the projected influence MMOs have in the overall online gaming industry. A report by ABI Research claims, "The MMO market is expected to be larger in 2010 at $7.6 billion, but will show a lower CAGR of 12.8%, reaching almost $14 billion by 2015." Although the report downplays MMOs, this does mean that over half the revenue for online gaming this year will come from MMOs, and the total MMO revenue will potentially double in just five years.

Games through connected devices, like the PlayStation 3, have promising potential as well, according to the report. This bodes well for cross-platform games like DC Universe Online, but the report also says that console online games will only make up 10% of the total online gaming market.

Next time your parents tell you that video games will never amount to anything, you have a coupleof reports to show them that claim otherwise. But good luck convincing them.
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abi-researchdc universe onlinedc-universe-onlinedcuoeconomygaming-industryindustryindustry-growthmiscellaneousnews itemsstock-marketworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 23 Dec 2010 17:30:00 -0500319|19775743https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/trion-ceo-introduces-mmo-investing-to-bloomberg-tv/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/trion-ceo-introduces-mmo-investing-to-bloomberg-tv/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/12/trion-ceo-introduces-mmo-investing-to-bloomberg-tv/#comments

Yesterday, Trion's CEO Lars Buttler was featured on Bloomberg's CEO Sitdown. In the interview, Buttler mentioned the role that games, specifically MMO games, will play in the future economy. "This is actually one of the fastest-growing segments of the games industry. And there are markets like Korea or China where you can see what a massive potential these online premium games already have," Buttler explains in the video. As MMOs become more mainstream, the media industry is beginning to see them as a viable form of entertainment. They are not just pretend fun for teenage boys anymore. Buttler expounds later, "It's really once-a-gamer-always-a-gamer, so as people get older they stay with their favorite game types." The industry is constantly growing because the audience sticks to its favorite form of entertainment.

For more on this story check out the full video on Bloomberg's website.
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bertelsmannbloombergbloombergnewsbusiness modelseconomyend-of-nationsinvestmentlars-buttlermmo industrymmo-industrynbcnbc-universalnew titlesriftrift-planes-of-telarastock-marketstockstime-warnertrion-worldsvideoFri, 12 Nov 2010 19:00:00 -0500319|19714566https://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/08/majesco-threatened-with-nasdaq-delisting-again/https://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/08/majesco-threatened-with-nasdaq-delisting-again/https://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/08/majesco-threatened-with-nasdaq-delisting-again/#comments

Majesco, publisher of Cooking Mama and ... other stuff, has received a delisting notice from the Nasdaq stock market. The company now has 180 calendar days to bring its stock above $1 per share, the minimum required to remain on the exchange. The trick, though, is it can't just pop its fiscally hurting head above a buck for a day and everything will go back to being right with the world again. The company needs to hold the price for "a minimum of 10 consecutive trading days prior to August 30, 2010."

This is not the first time Majesco was threatened with being kicked from the exchange. The company came back from the brink of that potential delisting disaster early last year. If you're curious to see what happens after a company is delisted, here are two case studies: Midway and Atari.
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businesscooking-mamadelistingmajesconasdaqstock-marketMon, 08 Mar 2010 11:10:00 -050011|19387627https://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/gamestop-reveals-2010-capital-allocation-program/https://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/gamestop-reveals-2010-capital-allocation-program/https://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/gamestop-reveals-2010-capital-allocation-program/#comments

We know, we know -- you've been sitting around all day worried sick about GameStop. Ever since the recent announcement of a cut profit forecast and the resultant drop in share prices, we've been in exactly the same boat. Good thing then that the company has announced plans to repurchase $300 million in stock from investors as part of its 2010 "Capital Allocation Strategy," with intentions to increase earnings per share by 10 percent.

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter sees the announcement as "positive," echoing the company's statement of continued financial growth in 2010. "We believe that industry sales will rebound in 2010 and that GameStop is well-positioned to gain share the first half of the year. The company has high exposure to the hardcore software releases, which we expect to drive market growth in 2010, and comparatively low exposure to hardware, which we expect to decline," he says. It certainly doesn't hurt that GameStop plans to open 400 new stores over the course of the year -- the financials even leave $100 million on the side, reserved for "acquisition activity." It would appear that, at least for now, we can all can stop worrying. Finally.
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2010-capital-allocation-strategybusinessgamestopmichael-pachtermoneystock-marketstockswedbush-morganwedbush-morgan-securitiesTue, 12 Jan 2010 18:30:00 -050011|19313721https://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-play-the-mmo-stock-market/https://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-play-the-mmo-stock-market/https://massively.joystiq.com/2009/08/19/the-daily-grind-do-you-play-the-mmo-stock-market/#comments

Ahhh, the stock market: The yo-yo that makes people jump for joy or jump off twenty-story buildings. Playing it can be just as exhilarating, frightening, and expensive as a high-octane weekend bender in Free Realms. Well, almost... With the quote-unquote Global Economic Crisis we've been going through, almost all stocks are down from a year ago. Does that mean that now is a good time to invest? It probably depends on whether or not you believe the market has hit the bottom yet.

Word on the street is that the video game industry is recession-proof (or not). When you're pinching pennies, MMOs in particular are one of the cheapest forms of entertainment and escapism money can buy. We're not here to offer advice one way or the other, but we are curious -- do you play the MMO stock market? We did a bit of digging and found a number of stocks from companies producing MMOs:

Based on that list, who do you think is the best investment and why?
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atariblizzardeaeconomic-crisisfree-realmsfuncominvestingmaking moneymmo industryncsoftrecessionsoestock-markettdgthe daily grindthqWed, 19 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0400319|19132543https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/the9-to-lose-wow-in-china/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/the9-to-lose-wow-in-china/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/the9-to-lose-wow-in-china/#comments

Trading Markets reports from the Xinhua News Agency that The9, the company that handles World of Warcraft in China, is likely to lose their license as agents of the game. Blizzard and The9 have not yet reached an agreement regarding the extension of their contract, although The9 representatives have repeatedly tried to quell these fears. President Xiaowei Chen has confidently stated that the contract would be renewed in June.

An insider source, however, noted otherwise. Blizzard is said to have been unhappy with The9's performance over the past four years, and posed higher requirements in their renegotiation with the Chinese company. Recent troubles with the Chinese government in securing approval for Wrath of the Lich King hasn't helped matters, and The9 is facing bankruptcy should Wrath fail to get past China's censorship laws and negotiations fall apart. The online game operator gets 90 percent of their profits from managing World of Warcraft in China. The9 has refused to comment, only saying that negotiations have not been finalized.
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bankruptcyblizzardbreaking-newschinanewsnews itemsnewsitemstock-marketthe9wow-chinawrath of the lich kingTue, 24 Mar 2009 14:00:00 -040099|1496860https://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/analyst-nintendo-profits-have-peaked-stock-set-to-decline/https://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/analyst-nintendo-profits-have-peaked-stock-set-to-decline/https://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/18/analyst-nintendo-profits-have-peaked-stock-set-to-decline/#comments

Though Nintendo is currently making money faster than a brothel in shore leave season, Deutsche Bank analyst Satoru Kikuchi has given the company's stock a "sell" rating, usually reserved for companies who are facing an economic decline. Kikuchi foresees a slow trailing off for Nintendo's stock value -- he predicts an 18 percent decline over the next year, and an additional 19 percent drop sometime in 2011.

The analyst referenced declining DS and Wii sales in Japan as evidence for his claims, adding that Nintendo's dependence on its few ridiculously successful titles (we assume he's talking about Wii Fit and Wii Play) will ultimately bring it down unless it introduces additional power sellers. Don't fret, Mr. Kikuchi -- we're sure Nintendo's got a Wii Fit 2 or Wii Play Again hidden somewhere up its gilded sleeves.
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analystindustrynintendosatoru-kikuchistockstock-marketwiiWed, 18 Mar 2009 14:25:00 -040011|1491660https://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/game-publishers-bloody-but-unbowed-after-stock-ruckus/https://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/game-publishers-bloody-but-unbowed-after-stock-ruckus/https://massively.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/game-publishers-bloody-but-unbowed-after-stock-ruckus/#comments

Nobody but the most sunless and fungal of stock stereotype MMO-playing basement dwellers could fail to be aware of the recent events in the markets. Reports have been filtering through the various industry sites of how game publishers have fared.

It would have been surprising if MMO publishers' stock hadn't suffered a decline in value, given the economic context. What's interesting to us is the attitude that games are a solid investment, possibly even more so in times of unease and uncertainty.

Much like movies in the time of the Great Depression, MMOs offer a chance to escape the real world for a while and enjoy an immersive, imaginative experience detached from everyday concerns. The great mistake is to see that as a negative, a flight into escapism, rather than a crucial part of the process by which human beings recover their energy and return to coping with the world.
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activision-blizzardeammo industrystock-marketstocksTue, 30 Sep 2008 19:00:00 -0400319|1329048https://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/publisher-stocks-hit-by-market-freefall-analysts-optimistic/https://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/publisher-stocks-hit-by-market-freefall-analysts-optimistic/https://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/30/publisher-stocks-hit-by-market-freefall-analysts-optimistic/#comments

If you haven't looked out your window today, you might have missed stocks that are falling faster than Chicken Little can blink. Game publishers were not immune, as the NASDAQ (where most publishers are listed) Composite Index fell 199.61 points, or 9.14 percent. As for the individual publishers, Gamespot points out that Electronic Arts saw a 9.16 percent drop to $36 a share. Activision Blizzard was hit hard with a 13.8 percent drop to $14.12 a share. As for the console makers, Sony and Microsoft saw a 5.09 and 8.72 respective percent drop. Overseas, Ubisoft's stock dropped a whopping 21.5% to €45.50 (US $65.37) on the Euronext market.

Despite these stock drops, analysts speaking to Gamasutra remain optimistic, with Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter expecting none of the companies to be affected by the lending crisis. Lazard Capital Markets' Colin Sebastian predicts a "cocooning" effect where people flock to games as a cost-efficient form of escapism. In what is surely the most "no duh" prediction, Sebastian expects World of Warcraft to continue serving as an unwavering money stream for Activision Blizzard.

Steven Mallas over at BloggingStocks notes that Activision's stock (AVTI) capped a new 52-week high yesterday at $36.84. By the end of the day, the final price was slightly lower, but overall it grew nearly 5%. Mallas mentions what's on all of our minds -- Guitar Hero for DS, sure, but Activision is about to pick up a 10-million subscriber powerhouse called Blizzard. That's worth a little something to investors.

So while other, similar companies lost share price yesterday (Electronic Arts and Take Two, for example), our Activision overlords (whom I, for one, welcome with open arms) continues to do well. With Wrath of the Lich King pending around the corner, we can hope for the stock to pick up a few additional pennies. I don't know what effect the whole eSport buzz might have, but it could still be too early to tell.

Nintendo stockholders have been profiting from their investments over the past year, but that might change in the near future. At least, that's what KBC Securities Japan thinks, and the company has thus downgraded Nintendo's stock investment rating from "buy" to "hold."

One reason for the downgrade is the fear that Nintendo's sales will stall. Now that the Wii and DS have been around for a while, KBC is worried that demand for Nintendo's products will lessen in the coming months. The weakening dollar will also make overseas sales drop in value.

Since economics is like alien speak to us, we're not sure how much weight KBC's rationale holds. It's true that Nintendo will have a hard time showing up the numbers of Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Wii Fit, especially in Japan -- the casual market is a key area when it comes to Nintendo's more explosive sales. Also, the DS is no longer the dominating force in Japan like it used to be, while the PSP has increased in popularity. Yet, even so, demand for Nintendo consoles and games is still high worldwide, so KBC might be jumping the gun.